Chicken Curry-Kerala Country Style..

I wanted to make some chicken gravy to go with Dosas. I always have a liking for the dishes made simple and the country way. So, when I came across something of that sort in Madhur Jaffrey’s ‘Flavors of India’, I thought it would be the right combination for a dosa. I have adapted the curry from the book, but varied the quantities of ingredients and the method to suit our taste.
I think the name ‘country’ is apt for this dish, as it is so comforting and with dosas, was deadly…The original version of the curry in Kerala is called Kori Kootan.

Ingredients

Red Onions, finely sliced – 1 medium
Fresh/frozen grated coconut – ¼ cup
Ginger – ½ inch piece
Garlic cloves, big ones – 3
Dried red hot chillies – 10-12
Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
Black peppercorns – 1 tsp
Cloves – 1
Cinnamon stick – ½ inch piece, 1
Green cardamom pods – 1
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Chicken pieces, with bones – 1/2 lb
Tomatoes, finely diced – 1 medium
Shallots (preferably), or Red onions, sliced – 3-4
Oil
Salt – to taste

Method
- Make a paste of the ginger and garlic and set aside.
- Now, blend the coconut with the chilies, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and green cardamom into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a wide pan, take little oil. When hot, add the sliced onions. Fry till they turn golden. Then, add the paste of ginger garlic. Stir little and add the turmeric and salt.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir and fry for about 10 mins till the chicken is lightly browned.
- Add the tomatoes to the chicken. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now, add the ground paste of coconut and spices.
- Add water to adjust the consistency, turn the heat down and let it simmer until the gravy becomes thick and the chicken gets cooked.
- In a separate pan, take little oil, fry the shallots till brown and crisp. Remove and spread on paper towel.
- When the chicken is cooked and the gravy done, turn off the heat and add the fried shallots and stir them in.
- Serve hot with dosas or plain rice.

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